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Property Taxes

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Property taxes collected in the City of Oshawa are distributed to 3 areas. In fact, the City only keeps about 41% of the total tax bill that you pay as a homeowner.

The breakdown:

41% of your total tax bill stays with the City to pay for local municipal services (garbage and green bin collection, maintenance and snow clearing on City roads, parking and by-law enforcement, fire protection, animal services, recreation programs, and more)

Another 41% goes to the Region of Durham to pay for regional services, (police, ambulance, transit, social services, and more)

18% goes to the Province for education, specifically for local school boards

There are a number of items to consider when looking at your tax rate as a property owner in the City of Oshawa.

Oshawa offers some of the most affordable housing in the GTA coupled with excellent amenities – over 130+ parks, an extensive trail system, recreation centres, pools and arenas. We also deliver quality services such as snow removal, fire services, waste collection and by-law.

At the same time, the City continues to

invest in and maintain our infrastructure;

increase our reserves for the financial health of the city; and,

support the libraries, senior citizens centres and not-for-profit community groups.

Important information about the 2016 MPAC Assessment Update

This year, the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) is updating the assessed values of every property in Ontario. All properties will have a legislated valuation date of January 1, 2016. These values will be used by the City of Oshawa to calculate your property taxes for the 2017-2020 property tax years.

Below are some frequently asked questions about the assessments and what you can during the process.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the MPAC 2016 Assessment Update?

Every four years, MPAC updates the value of every property in the province as part of Ontario's assessment cycle. The current Assessment Update is taking place in 2016, based on a valuation date of January 1, 2016. These assessments will be applicable to the 2017-2020 property tax years.

MPAC's assessments provide the foundation on which municipalities base property taxes. Municipalities use the assessment base to calculate property taxes to pay for local programs and services.

Why is it happening this year?

The cycle for province-wide Assessment Updates is every four years. The last update was in 2012, meaning the next update is set to occur this year.

What valuation date is being used?

The 2016 Assessment Update is based on a legislated valuation date of January 1, 2016.

What is a valuation date?

To ensure consistency, MPAC values each property based on a legislated valuation date. For the 2016 Assessment Update, the valuation date is January 1, 2016. MPAC uses the valuation date as the common date for determining what a property could have reasonably sold for if purchased by a willing buyer as of January 1, 2016.

How are the 2016 values being determined?

To establish a property's assessed value, MPAC analyzes sales of comparable properties in the property owner's area and all the key features that affect market value. This method, called Current Value Assessment, is used by most assessment jurisdictions in North America.

For residential properties, five major factors generally account for 85% of a property's value:

Location

Lot dimensions

Living area

Age of the property (adjusted for any major renovations or additions)

Quality of construction

How MPAC Assesses Property Video

When will property owners receive their property assessment notice?

Residential property owners will receive their new assessment Notices over a 21-week period, starting on April 4, 2016.

The residential Notice mailing date for the City of Oshawa is Monday, June 20, 2016.

Non-residential property owners will receive their new assessments starting on October 11, 2016.

What is the relationship between assessment and taxation?

MPAC's property assessments provide the foundation on which municipalities base property taxes. Here is how it works:

Each municipality determines how much it costs to provide all the services in a community - such as waste management, parks, police and fire protection, roads, sidewalks and public transit.

Once that's done, the municipality takes all of the property values and determines tax rates for different property types to secure enough funds to provide these services.

This tax rate is then used to calculate how much property tax residents will pay to their municipality.

In addition to the municipal tax rate, the Province of Ontario sets the education tax rate, which determines the education tax portion of the property tax bill.

If a property owner's assessment increases, will they have to pay more property tax?

Not necessarily. If the assessed value of a home has increased more than the average for the municipality, property owners may pay proportionately more in property taxes. If it has increased in value less than the average, property owners may pay proportionately less in property taxes.

Under the Assessment Act, assessment increases are introduced gradually over four years, for all property types. As such, market increases in assessed value between the January 1, 2012 and January 1, 2016 legislated valuation dates will be introduced gradually over four years (2017-2020). The phased-in values for your property are indicated on your Property Assessment Notice. The phase-in program does not apply to decreases in assessed value, which are introduced immediately.

What if a property owner hasn't received their Notice?

The first step is to check the Notice mailing schedule. Residential Notices are being mailed over a 21-week period starting April 4. Property owners should contact MPAC's Customer Contact Centre at 1-866-296-MPAC (6722), or 1-877-889-MPAC (6722) if they haven't received their Property Assessment Notice by the anticipated in-home date.

How can property owners check the accuracy of their assessment?

Property owners should review their Notice, and ask themselves if they could have sold their property for the assessed value as of January 1, 2016. Next, they should visit aboutmyproperty.ca, to learn how and why their property was assessed the way it was, and to compare their assessment with others in their neighbourhood.

If property owners have questions, they can call MPAC's Customer Contact Centre at 1-866-296-MPAC (6722), or 1-877-889-MPAC (6722), or visit a local MPAC office.

About My Property Video

What is AboutMyProperty™?

AboutMyProperty™ is a secure, online, easy-to-use, self-serve website that allows property owners to learn more about how their property was assessed, see the information MPAC has on file as well as compare it to others in their neighbourhood or area.

Information on property values and market trends are also available through the site - free of charge.

Who can use this service?

Anyone can access the site and learn more about how assessment works and market trends in their area/municipality. Both residential and non-residential property owners can access details about their property by registering and logging in using the Roll Number and Access Key on their Property Assessment Notice.

How do I register and log in?

To register for AboutMyProperty™, you need the Roll Number and Access Key located on your 2016 Property Assessment Notice. If you own more than one property, each will have its own unique Roll Number and Access Key. After you register your first property - you can add additional properties through the 'My Profile' area located at the top of the homepage.If you need help registering, contact MPAC at 1 866 296-MPAC (6722).

What kind of information can I get on AboutMyProperty™?

You can learn more about how your property was assessed, see the information MPAC has on file, as well as compare your property to others in your neighbourhood or area - free of charge.

Learn more about Market Trends in your area. Browse through the interactive maps to view information on residential sale price trends in neighbourhoods and municipalities across Ontario.

The 'How Assessment Works' section contains general information on how we assess properties, the five main factors that account for 85% of your property value, Ontario's property assessment system, and more.

You can also access the following information, for each of the properties you own:

A Property Profile Report available through 'My Property'. This includes detailed information about your property and more information about the five key factors that account for 85% of your property's assessed value.

Property Snapshots - as you browse through 'My Neighbourhood' you can access up to 100 snapshots of data on other properties in your neighbourhood or area. This snapshot

provides the following information: property address, year built, square footage, lot size, number of stories, Current Value Assessment, and sales information, if applicable.

Favourites Report - compare your property with up to 24 saved Favourites. This detailed report will help you compare your assessment to similar properties in your neighbourhood to determine whether your property's assessed value is accurate. The report can be downloaded and includes address, Roll Number, Current Value Assessment, sale and site information, as well as residential structural details (e.g. square footage).

What if property owners don't agree with their assessment?

If property owners disagree with MPAC's assessment or classification of their property, they can file a Request for Reconsideration (R.f.R.) and MPAC will review their assessment, free of charge. The deadline to file an R.f.R. is included on each property owner's Notice.

There are two ways to file an R.f.R.:

At aboutmyproperty.ca. Property owners will be able to attach documents, pictures and reports to accompany their R.f.R., as well as check the status of their request. They may also mail or fax their form to MPAC. Forms are available at mpac.ca.

Write a letter to request an R.f.R. The letter should include the 19-digit Roll Number found on the Property Assessment Notice, the owner's full name, address and phone number, and the reasons why their assessment is incorrect, including any information they have to support their request.

Starting in 2016 (for the 2017 property tax year) property owners will have 120 days from the Issue Date of their Property Assessment Notice to file a free R.f.R., to ensure they receive a fair and consistent review of property assessment concerns. The Issue Date and the property owner's unique R.f.R. deadline will be included on every Property Assessment Notice.

Request for Reconsideration Video

What happens once a Request for Reconsideration (R.f.R.) has been reviewed?

MPAC will send a letter with the results of their review within 180 days (or less) of when the request is received. With more complex scenarios, MPAC may need more time (up to 60 more days) to reconsider a property assessment and complete the review. MPAC will contact the property owner if they need more time. Once a decision has been made, MPAC will mail a letter advising the owner about the outcome of their review.

If the owner disagrees with the outcome, they have the option to file an appeal with the Assessment Review Board (A.R.B.), an independent assessment appeal tribunal of the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General.

Property owners have 90 days after MPAC has notified them of its decision about the R.f.R. to file an appeal with the A.R.B. The A.R.B. has its own appeal process. For more information, please email the A.R.B. or call 1- 866-448-2248 or 416-212-6349.

What happens at an A.R.B. hearing?

At an A.R.B. hearing, the onus is on MPAC to prove the accuracy of the assessed value of a property. MPAC presents comparable sold properties as evidence and shares that information with the property owner prior to the hearing. The property owner presents evidence in support of their position. Ideally, they should select properties that are similar to their property.

Where can I get more information on assessments in my neighbourhood?

Visit www.mpac.ca and check out AboutMyProperty, a secure, online service that provides property owners with access to basic property valuation information. Through AboutMyPropertyproperty owners have access to their assessment roll information and assessment roll values on comparable properties of their choice. There is no charge for this service.

Tax certificates provide certified information about the status of your property tax account, verification of the property owner and the legal description of the property. The cost is $65 per roll number. For a rush tax certificate (24 hours), the cost is $85 per roll number. Please apply in person at Service Oshawa or by written request with your payment enclosed.